A Year's Passed
by aquaticZoologist
Summary: A year has passed since Amelia died. It was fate, something that couldn't have been changed. Of course, this doesn't stop Arthur from remembering her, and more importantly the times they spent together from the day they first met to the tragic day of on accident. /Human AU/
1. Prologue

**I do not own Hetalia or any of the character's associated with the webcomic, manga, or anime. All credit for the character's used are property of Hidekaz Himaruya. Enjoy**!

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It had been a year since Amelia had died. It was as simple as that. She was lost to a tragic car accident, her life stolen in the span of a few moments. There was nothing nobody could have done in those seconds turned in to eternity. Maybe if the car that had struck her own could have just missed her. Maybe if the American would have stayed at home to avoid her demise. So many maybes, so many possible outcomes that were lost, that is, all but one.

As fate would have it, Amelia F. Jones, patriotic American, mother of one, and loved by many, had had her life cut short. This, of course, came as a surprise to her loving spouse, Arthur Kirkland, as much as it did to everyone. Now a year has passed, and even though the Englishman still mourns he can't help but think of the memories he had spent and enjoyed with Amelia, one being captured and preserved in a single picture frame.

A tear drop. A memory. The day Arthur and Amelia had first met. They were just two college students at an academy for all types of people. It was a wonder how the two could have possibly met in the jumble of different and unique students. Well, it would eventually have happened, now that Arthur thought about it.


	2. Chapter 1-College, Friends, and Perverts

**I still do not own Hetalia.**

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Arthur sighed, placing the picture of him and Amelia on the dusty table in front of him. He looked at it for a moment, then down at his hands. "**Why did you leave me?"**He whispered to himself, his thoughts still trained on his deceased spouse. He shook his head and buried his face in to his hands. "**Why?"**

The memory… The memory of when they first met completely surfaced. School. College to be exact. It was their first year, and full of new promises, as well as new people. There were strange people, smart people, crazy people, quiet people, all sorts of people. This vast amount of personalities and social statuses made up the staff and students of the private college. It was a wonder how some of the people got in there, honestly, now that Arthur thought about it. His thoughts eventually wandered to his first course… And where he had met Amelia.

"**_Why? Why do I even have to be here?"_**_A blond girl seated next to Arthur groaned dramatically. Arthur rolled his eyes as he and the many other students gathered in the large room awaited for their first class of the year. He couldn't help but cast a disapproving glance at the girl. It was their first day and she was already complaining about classes. Boy, would she be howling later. He would expect her to take this more seriously, mainly since this was a law class in a private academy. Arthur figured that she was one of those people who just went to school to get a title, or something of the sort. This, of course, made him internally want to groan. Why would somebody come here just to update their social status? Of course, he was yet to find out how much this reluctant girl could prove to be one hell of a lawyer. _

_Arthur kept to himself, though, now growing somewhat impatient for the class to start. He had taken this course to follow the path to his dream career in Law. He had always wanted to be a lawyer, someone both respected and hated in a courtroom. It sounded good to him. His parents had always wanted him to be someone with a well-paying and well respected job. Although they did tell him this, they would have liked him to be a police officer. Sure, being a lawyer wasn't what they really wanted, but it was good enough. Plus, ever since he had decided to move to America, he found that there were plenty more of careers to choose from. _

_This time she had actually poked him in order to gain his attention. What was this, elementary school? The British man threw a scornful look at the optimistic looking young lady. What did she want?_**_"Hey, Eyebrows;"_**_She whispered to him, his disapproval at the nickname he had apparently been presented visible on his face. Nevertheless, she continued._**_"Guess what?"_**_She didn't give him a chance to answer as a smile appeared on her face._**_"I'm gonna be the heroin of the courtroom when I get out of here. The law will be aided by me, Amelia F. Jones, and I need someone to be a witness."_**_She stated, her smile broad._

_Arthur could not believe this._**_"Do you really expect me to be this witness of yours?"_**_He asked rhetorically, although to his slight surprise she answered._**_"Yeah, dude! I need someone to do it, so why not you? You should be honored."_**_Well then. Arthur decided to not waste any more time and just rolled his eyes and sighed. "_**_Alright. I will be your witness or whatever it is you want."_**_He stated, knowing full well he wouldn't seriously do this. He decided not to tell the truth to the girl, though. Well, her reaction stopped him, actually._

_She was genuinely happy, believing, trusting. "_**_Awesome! I'm Amelia, by the way."_**_She introduced herself with a grin. Arthur stared at her for a moment then remembered his manners._**_"I am Arthur."_**_He stated simply as the class finally began. He didn't know why he bothered to even introduce himself. It wasn't like he was going to talk to her again. _

Arthur lifted his face from his hands. It was such a simple way of meeting somebody so significant to his life. He sighed, although a phantom of a smile appeared on his face for a single moment. **"She was always big on introductions."**He muttered to himself once again. Then, quiet. The silence allowed him to visit his memories once again. Unbelievably, he could recall a few of the days after that fateful day as they flashed in his mind.

_A week later, the two had surprisingly been acquainted quite well. It was a just a friendship of course, and both were content with it. Sure, from time to time Amelia annoyed Arthur and Arthur put a stop to Amelia's mischievous ideas quite a bit, but both still stayed friends._

_It was quite amazing how close the two had grown, and many figured that they had already known each other. This was soon after explained to not be the case. They were just simply meant for each other as friends. Friends… Arthur had always tried to wipe away any ideas of having a true relationship with Amelia. They had only met a week ago, for Pete's sake! But even after this, he couldn't help but always admire her smile, her laugh, and her happy-go-lucky spirit. _

_A few more weeks had passed, courses were taken, and pranks happened, friends and enemies were made, normal college academy things. Throughout this Arthur and Amelia stayed friends and along the way began making new ones. Curiously enough, all were from almost every corner of the Earth. Arthur, for the most part though, found some of these people obnoxious, annoying, or both. There were a few exceptions, though, such as a certain American. _

_Of course, there were also… Not so much friends. It was funny actually. Some of the students just didn't get along, such as Arthur, with other students, or have already had a bad past with others. Once again, Arthur was guilty as charged. Amelia… Not so much. Arthur could obviously tell that it wasn't her herself in general, just her ego and certain personality traits. People just found her too loud, and so patriotic that it got to the point that she was annoying. Not to mention a few certain habits of hers. _

_This couldn't be helped, though, so he just watched as the American constantly got disapproving reactions from college students and teachers. One day, though, she had gotten more than she bargained for .This was unintentional, of course. She just happened to have flirted with the wrong person at the wrong time. _

_It was a regular day like any other, nothing much out of the ordinary happened. The school day was drawing to an end. Many of the college students were getting ready to return to their dorms, Arthur included. The British man was making his way out of the main building when he heard a commotion not far from the exit. Arthur decided to investigate what was happening, and rounded a corner to be met with Amelia and somebody he didn't quite recognize. It was another male, a blond man whom Arthur did not really talk to, although he had seen him in one of his classes. He couldn't recall the young man's name, but at the moment it did not matter to him._

_Whoever this guy was, he was hitting up on Amelia, and she clearly was not comfortable with it. She was trying to get away from the blond, and from what Arthur saw she was trying to make excuses in to getting out of the situation. Arthur could not believe he was seeing. Something inside him was beginning to awaken, a hot, ugly feeling he was not familiar with. Something called jealousy. This was different from when Amelia was flirting with other students, back then it was just joking and they both knew it. Now, though, this was different. His emerald eyes continued to watch the exchange, Amelia trying to get away, but the blond man not allowing her to leave. In fact, he was awfully close to her. Close enough that they were touching… And Arthur did not like it one bit._

_He was surprised that Amelia wasn't pounding the man's face in to a pulp. Then, Arthur realized the reason. Amelia had been threatened with expulsion for 'accidently' beating up a very opinionated teenager. She had told Arthur about it, and Arthur had told her to save violence for the very last option. Students and staff still lingered in the building, and a single loud protest or yell from the man could draw attention. Attention that could kick Amelia out of the academy._

_His anger kept him rooted, though. That is, until he began trying to put his hands on rather intimate places. That was it. Arthur had seen enough. He immediately rushed over, a mixture of rage and defensiveness present on his face. The pervert who had been touching Amelia looked up at the approaching British man and sneered._**_"Arthur!"_**_She exclaimed, relief present on her face. The man was not impressed with the Englishman by the look he gave him, and instead turned back to Amelia._**_"How about we just leave this place for the night. It's nobody,"_**_The man paused to throw Arthur another look._**_"else's business."_**_He finished, reaching for the American once again._

_Oh, he did not just say that in front of Arthur. Before the other blond could say a word, Arthur's fist had met his face. The man, not expecting the punch, reeled back and gave Arthur a rather dirty look. If looks could kill, both would have hands at their throats._**_"Don't you dare touch her again with those dirty hands of yours, ass hat."_**_Arthur growled, taking Amelia's hand. The other man yelled at him, cursed, but Arthur didn't care. Nobody treated his friend like that. Before the bruised blond could say anything else or call for anybody, Arthur lead Amelia out the building doors, his hand having a firm but gentle grip on her wrist._

_Once they reached outside, he let go. His anger slightly diminished as he heard a familiar giggle. The American beside him was holding a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh. He was about to ask what was so funny about being harassed when she began to speak._**_"Dude! You punched him straight in the jaw. He looked like he was gonna cry!"_**_She exclaimed through bursts of giggles._

_Arthur's anger was now almost completely gone as he shrugged._**_"What else was I going to do? He deserved it."_**_He responded simply, and Amelia finally stopped giggling. Her face now had a grin, a beautiful one Arthur's thoughts added. He blushed very lightly, looking away so Amelia wouldn't see. Suddenly, he felt something soft and warm press against his cheek. Then it was gone._

_His blush brightened as he realized that Amelia had kissed him. On the cheek, but nonetheless kissed him. Her smile didn't disappear as she pulled away. Arthur was left speechless, but he didn't need to speak as ,once again, Amelia spoke._ **_"You're cute when you blush, ya' know? Well, see ya' tomorrow!"_**_She exclaimed simply, and just as if nothing had happened, left him standing there like an idiot. He was able to stutter out a bye before she left. Man, was he falling hard._

_And that, is how their relationship first started._

Arthur sighed as the memory finished. It was so long ago, yet he wished it could have kept going. He wanted to do anything to have Amelia back. She was so cheerful, even in college and in almost any situation. He missed that with an aching pain in his chest. He held back a sob, and swallowed it as if it were a spoonful of bad medicine.

Another tear. Another memory. Fourth of July of 2012. Amelia's birthday, and her first celebrating with Arthur.

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**I decided to keep the harasser anonymous to avoid character hate uvu**

**Please review! This is in fact my first fanfiction, heh...**


	3. Chapter 3- Fireworks

_The day was a typical warm summer day, but there was nothing regular about it. Not only was it Fourth of July, a date from what Arthur knew was extremely important to Americans, but Amelia's birthday as well. Instead of buying fireworks like some of the people he had managed to get acquainted with, he was trying to get everything set up for his girlfriend's party. What a day to shop. Not only had he procrastinated, but he had managed to go shopping for rather patriotic decorations, which appeared to have run out in nearly every store he's gone to. Wasn't there supposed to be American things everywhere?_

Arthur put a hand to his face and held it there for a moment. He couldn't bear to think about the decorative items that people would use on this exact day, the same he had used on that memorable day. The colors would just remind him of her, just like when she had first passed on. To him, the celebrations would be bleak, if not angering. How dare people celebrate this day when he was forced to mourn it.

_After spending the whole morning shopping, Arthur finally returned home exhausted. Now all he had to do was invite all his and Amelia's friends and Amelia's family. Great. Sighing, he picked up his phone and texted, called, and left voice messages to multiple people. He wanted as many people as possible to come celebrate this day, not only because of patriotic purposes, but for him; a more important one. By the time he had finished, it was already passed noon, meaning Amelia would be coming home any hour now. He was grateful her friends had taken her out for a 'girls trip', whatever that was, in order to let him prepare the party, but now he had to get things ready. _

_Of course, his apartment would not due at all. Instead, he had decided to hold the party at a park. Arthur had prayed that the planned place would not be crowded, or at least nobody would interfere with the celebration. His prayers appeared to have been answered, though, as thankfully only a few families were picnicking that day. Quickly, he began getting the decorations set up. In mid-decorating he was interrupted by a very faintly familiar voice, and it didn't help that he could hardly hear it. It took another quiet "__**Excuse me.**__" to make Arthur look up at the somewhat tall young man. He had a similar face to Amelia's, although very much more masculine. Oh, he remembered him now. Amelia had shown Arthur pictures of this man, er, her brother before, although it took him another moment to figure it out. "__**Oh! Hello… you. I'm glad you got my message.**__" Arthur stated a somewhat sheepish look on his face for having forgotten his girlfriend's brother's name. Way to make a good impression. _

_The other blond nodded, a small smile appearing on his face as if he didn't really care that Arthur had forgotten his name. "__**It's Matthew. And yeah, I did get it. I came early to help you set up everything, if that's okay.**__" Matthew stated simply, an almost apologetic look on his face. "__**Oh, yes, that'd be great. I mean, having your help. Thank you.**__" He quickly replied, genuinely grateful. _

_About an hour later, all the picnic table where set with decorative flags and red, white, and blue tableware respectively. Everything was nearly perfect except for one thing. There wasn't any food. It took Matthew to finally figure this out when he asked what they would be eating. How could Arthur have forgotten? "__**Shit, shit, shit.**__" He muttered, not even excusing himself for his curses. He told Matthew to wait there, along with any other guests that would arrive while he got the food. Arthur rushed to his car and drove like he was in The Italian Job. He quickly went back in to the grocery store that he had gotten the decorations from and hurriedly grabbed necessary food items. Chips, frozen burger patties, buns, sausages: Everything necessary for the party. Now all he needed was the cake. _

_Of course, he had baked it himself in order to make the favor seem more special and heartfelt. Ah yes, a nice chocolate cake that he had left in the oven… right before… he left for the park…_

_**Shit. **__His thoughts once again echoed as he drove in his car, now fully packed with food items, back to the apartment. He rushed in to the complex and to his apartment just in time to hear the smoke-alarm begin to wail. Oh, this was not good. He ran in to the small kitchen and quickly turned off the oven, hoping the alarms wouldn't trigger the onslaught of sprinklers. Would he get an earful from his neighbors for that. Peering in to the oven, Arthur could hardly recognize the lump of black that was supposed to be a cake. This would not do at all. Discarding the burnt food item, he made sure all kitchen appliances were off before running back to his car to get a store-bought one. Hopefully Amelia would understand. _

_A while later, the British man finally arrived to the park where almost every guest was now gathered, impatient looks on each of their faces. He quickly took out the food items and placed them next to a mini grill he had thankfully brought. Oh how embarrassing. Everybody was either quietly staring at him or murmuring amongst themselves, something that did not look right for the occasion. To make matters worse, an all too familiar face came in to his view. Sheepishly, Arthur looked up at Amelia's somewhat confused and surprised face. "__**Happy birthday?**__" His statement ended in more of a question, which was quite unlike him. _

_Suddenly, he heard a squeal emit form the blonde girl and was nearly knocked down from her apparent embrace. "__**You told me it would just be a date in the park, ohmygosh thank you, thank you! I didn't even know you knew how to throw a party!**__" She exclaimed rapidly, and just like that the actual party began. Luckily, Arthur was not in charge of grill duty due to the fact that he was too busy being talked to by Amelia. After a few moments of just words from the American, he finally silenced her with a small peck to her lips. "__**Your welcome.**__" He stated simply, a rare grin on his face. He was once again tackled in to a hug by Amelia, but with no protests from him. _

_And with that, the celebration continued until evening until they cut the cake. After singing "Happy Birthday" and presenting gifts to the American girl, the remaining guests stayed to watch the best part. Fireworks illuminated the now dark sky, captivating everybody with their mesmerizing lights and sparks. With that, Amelia's first birthday with Arthur concluded. _

Arthur finally took his hand off his face as the memory ended. Damn him, damn the fireworks, damn it all. He finally got up, knocking his gin over in the process. He made his way downstairs and out the front door and to his car.


End file.
